Generations come together in support of the YMCA

“To me, being a Y donor shows my faith, trust and pride in my employer. There’s no way I’d work at a place I wouldn’t be proud to support with my own money. And needless to say, there’s no way I’d recommend a charity to my dad that I didn’t support myself."

- Melissa, Vanauley Street YMCA employee

The Vanauley Street YMCA is a 40-bed youth shelter. Thanks in part to donors like Melissa and Pasquale, homeless and street involved youth can walk through Vanauley’s doors whenever they’re in need of safety or support. In fact, over 10,000 youth did just that last year.

Melissa has been a donor ever since she became a Y employee. “It wasn’t too hard to convince my dad to become a regular donor too.” Pasquale Schettino is very proud of his daughter and says it’s obvious how much she loves working at the Vanauley Street YMCA. “I was very satisfied being a donor and knowing my donations were…in a small, but consistent way…helping Melissa with her important work.”

When Melissa got married, she and her husband-to-be decided to make a charitable donation in lieu of wedding favours. Melissa says,

“We both made a list of the charities we thought deserved our support, and there were several we were considering. But in the end, we decided on the Vanauley Y”

Support from donors like Michelle and her family mean that families can access the YMCA programs they need to support physical, social and mental health through financial assistance.

Read more about Melissa and Pasquale and other donor stories in our 2017 Gratitude Report.

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